NFC North News and Rumors

The last time the 49ers beat the Packers, Alex Smith was the quarterback. The last time the 49ers played in the divisional round (and won), Alex Smith was the quarterback. So as the 49ers prepare to face the Packers in the divisional round of the playo…

Home is where the heart and barbecued shrimp are, and for Peyton Manning, the Big Easy is also where he and little brother Eli grew up and where the Lombardi Trophy will be waiting on Feb. 3 to be hoisted amid all the confetti in the Superdome.

Bieniemy could be running backs coach in Kansas City

Eric Bieniemy left an NFL job with the Vikings two years ago to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado. Now, he could be heading back to the NFL. John Henderson of the Denver Post reports that Bieniemy “is under strong consider

Kevin Smith disappointed the Lions didn’t use him more in 2012

Lions running back Kevin Smith has had an on-again, off-again run in Detroit, the only team for which he has played during five NFL seasons. Though on the roster to end the season, it definitely has become off again, given that Smith finished the season…

Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman said Thursday the organization has no concerns about Percy Harvin's character or attitude with a pivotal offseason ahead for the wide receiver's future with the Vikings.

The Vikings’ unlikely turnaround from 3-13 to 10-6 has resulted in another opportunity for a player to swap a week of wintry Minnesota for sunny Honolulu. Linebacker Chad Greenway will get his second trip to the Pro Bowl, replacing Cowboys linebacker De

Bears special teams coach Dave Toub is part of the cast of thousands interviewing for the Bears head coaching job. But it doesn’t take much reading of the tea leaves to think he’s not the leading candidating, since the Bears are letting him look at la

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week that he had a “leader in the clubhouse” in the competition between David Akers and Billy Cundiff to serve as the team’s kicker against the Packers. Harbaugh revealed his choice on Thursday and it turne

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh paid $130,000 to settle a lawsuit by a woman who claims she was injured in a December 2011 car crash in Oregon involving the Detroit Lions' star, according to a Detroit Free Press report.

Two of the three wide receivers who missed practice for the Packers on Wednesday were back on the field Thursday, providing a strong sign that they’ll be ready to go when the Packers face off with the 49ers on Saturday. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson wer

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers Saturday, January 12, 8:00 p.m. ET Candlestick Park, San Francisco, Calif. When the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers faced off in Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season, it was a game of defense above all. Despit…

One way or another, Jake Matthews was going to wind up following Luke Joeckel. Either Matthews, who is the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews and a cousin of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, would follow his fellow Texas A&M offensive tackle’s lead an

Tom Clements interviewing with Bears Thursday

Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements will have to turn his attention away from the 49ers for a little bit on Thursday. Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com reports that Clements is going to interview with the Bears for their head coaching job befo…

Packers-49ers II: Offensive improvement

Time for a quick quiz. Can you guess the pass-happiest game in the five-year history of the Aaron Rodgers Era? Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Brrring. It came in Week 1 of this season, the Green Bay Packers' 30-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. As the chart …

The Lions opted to retain General Manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz after a 4-12 season, but that doesn’t mean the status quo will remain in place across the entire organization. Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham both said

Blogger Blitz: Don Barclay's big task

The development of the Green Bay Packers' running game, and their consistent commitment to it, has been one of the stories of their season. Some of the credit has gone to an offensive line that settled down when coaches decided on rookie Don Barclay as …

On Wednesday night, multiple reports emerged almost spontaneously and simultaneously that the Eagles are interested in Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. The feeding frenzy spawned a suggestion that the Bears are interested, too. However, Sean Jensen of the…

NEW YORK (AP) -- Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for nearly two decades, had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health told The Associated Press on Thursday.

NFC North links: Starks could face 49ers

Chicago Bears The Bears will interview Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison for their head-coaching position Friday, according to a source. The Bears also received permission to interview Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, acco…